A writer suggested raising the HI-5 beverage container fee to 25 cents to improve redemption of the containers (“Raise beverage deposit from 5 cents to 25 cents,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Aug. 29). If you consider the container fee as a sneaky way to raise taxes, like I do, and if you support additional burdens on all consumers with what amounts to a tax on beverages, you only benefit the state government coffers.

This is a bad idea. Instead, legislators should get rid of the HI-5 fee entirely. It has outlived its need to exist, if it ever had one.

And while you’re at it, legislators, please also get rid of the general excise tax on food and medicine. It’s a win-win for consumers and food-industry businesses. The state can afford to do this; it is having a banner revenue year and expectations are high that this will continue.

Efforts to reduce the cost of living in paradise are appreciated.

Stuart Shimazu

Kapahulu

Fond memories of first trip to Williamsport, Pa.

Seeing the news about the victory of the Hawaii team in the Little League World Series brought back fond memories of my trip to Williamsport on the inaugural visit by a Hawaii team in 1958.

We were a bunch of military kids from the Pearl Harbor Little League. We didn’t exactly cover ourselves with glory, getting beaten by a team from Monterrey, Mexico, which included future major leaguer Hector Torres, 11-0 in the first game.

Even with the 10-run rule in effect, the game would have gone 5 2/3 innings since we suffered three unearned runs in the sixth inning. I remember it well since I finished the game having come on in relief from the second inning, when we already were way behind!

Michael Clarey

Sydney, Australia

Unused Catholic schools could become housing

Nationwide the enrollment in Catholic schools is down.

About 5 million students were enrolled in Catholic schools in the U.S. in the 1960s. That number decreased to close to 1.5 million by 2020.

In Hawaii, the dwindling enrollment in Catholic institutions has forced seven school closures in the past few years.

Campuses remain vacant throughout Oahu.

Wouldn’t it be beneficial to all island residents to consider the conversion of these school properties from classrooms into apartments for our houseless community?

The Catholic Charities Hawaii non-profit is already in place to provide food, shelter, counseling and job assistance to those who require social services, no matter what religious affiliation or gender.

Bishop Larry Silva says, “Faith in God keeps us grounded, faith in God drives us on.”

Amene.

Karyn Herrmann

Hawaii Kai

FBI and DOJ need to be objective, impartial

Americans are steadfast in their defense of “equal protection under the law” and the 14th Amendment. Charlie Savage would have us think otherwise (“Affidavit increases legal peril for Trump,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 28).

I urge Savage to read the July 5, 2016, press release from FBI Director James B. Comey on the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email system.

Specifically, Clinton stored and commingled highly classified information with personal emails on a personal email server and different servers and mobile devices ”not even supported by full-time security staff.” Emails were not returned to the State Department and lawyers “cleaned their devices.”

Comey summarized by saying, “Although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.”

What is truly at stake here for all Americans is trust of the FBI and Department of Justice, and their ability to be objective and impartial, and to treat all Americans with equal protection under the law, irrespective of their political party or the party in power.

Martha Drinan

Makiki

Waiting eagerly to see launch of Artemis 1

The scrubbed Artemis 1 launch was a bit disappointing, but not unexpected. I woke up at 02:15 to watch and listen. The last thing I heard was “scrubbed,” then went back to dreamland.

Rocket science is hard. Building this massive vehicle involved many years of trial and error to produce a system that must work perfectly. The propellants are liquid hydrogen and oxygen, the same as the space shuttle used.

The new rocket is using four souped- up versions of the same R-25 engines the shuttle used, with strap-on solid rocket boosters to get the rocket off the ground. The engines have been in development and production for more than 50 years.

That plume you’ll see from the main engines is mostly water vapor. Is that cool or what?

Richard E. Duggan

Kaneohe

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